


The gravitas of a mattress

by lasersheith



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: College AU, Fluff, Humor, M/M, just kidding this got away from me really badly, keith just wants to rest, lance and matt are hate-banging, matt and lance are in love, not quite smut, randomly generated prompts are hit and miss friends, shiro is a sweetheart, this is who i am now
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-28
Updated: 2018-01-31
Packaged: 2019-03-10 11:22:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 15,937
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13500764
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lasersheith/pseuds/lasersheith
Summary: From the prompt: My roommate got it on with yours yesterday and I don’t think I can face them for a while after hearing the sounds they made last night. Mind if I stayed with you for a while?Keith gets sexiled from his dorm room because Matt and Lance won't stop hate-fucking. He decides that it's only fair that he gets to crash in Matt's room if Matt gets to keep him out of his own. Shiro is confused but accommodating.Veryaccommodating.Matt and Lance have their own fun side adventure in learning to like each other and play nice. Pidge doesn't like it. Allura might.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> this is pure crack, ~~I'm only sorry because if there are actual Lance/Matt fans out there, you will probably not like this fic. I have nothing against the pairing, but it is a thinly veiled excuse for Sheith to happen here.~~
> 
> I PLAYED MYSELF. I ship it now. Happy endings for both couples. Damn it.
> 
> Title from the quote "Those who have never suffered the iniquities of exile cannot possibly understand the significance, the gravitas, of a mattress."

Freshman year of college had started off pretty great. Keith was doing well in all of his classes, slowly making friends, and enjoying being away from the orphanage and living a little more independently in the dorms on campus. He and his roommate had started the year a little rough, with a lot of arguing and fighting and pranks gone bad, but they’d eventually worked through it and were starting to get along a lot better. One of their favorite hobbies was getting absolutely smashed on Saturday nights and playing old nostalgic video games together in their sparsely furnished living room. A list of ridiculous drinking rules had been hastily scrawled on the whiteboard that hung crookedly on the wall behind where the TV was propped up on a coffee table that had been laying by the curb as trash at the beginning of the year.

Spinning off the map for the third time, Keith cursed and took another drink. Lance was stomping him at this round of Mario Kart and was a very sore winner. There was almost no hope of Keith winning this round, they’d been neck-in-neck for the whole series, but Rainbow Road was Keith’s kryptonite. Just as Lance stood up to gloat after passing the finish line, their door opened violently and slammed into the opposite wall.

Drunk people did occasionally stumble into the wrong room (most people didn’t lock their doors and would have friends just wander in from time to time, it was a very safe and open campus) but this drunk man appeared to be exactly where he’d intended and very angry about it. “Ok, nerd,” He started, stomping up to Lance and jabbing a finger into his chest, “What the hell did you say to Allura about me?” Keith blinked in surprise. If he weren’t so buzzed, he probably would have jumped to Lance’s defense on instinct, but the pillow he was sitting on was comfortable, and Lance did just beat him at their game, so maybe he could watch him get roughed up a little.

“Oh that’s rich, Holt. YOU calling someone else a nerd!” Lance shouted back. “And I didn’t say anything to Allura about you, I don’t say anything about you to anyone! Why don’t you get over yourself!?” There was clearly something in this exchange that Keith was missing on a fundamental level that alcohol could not explain. “ME? Get over MYSELF? You’re the most self-absorbed person I’ve ever met!” Matt retorted. They were standing nose to nose at this point and Keith was honestly starting to get a little worried he’d have to actually break up a fight, so he carefully stood up and tried to get the room to stop spinning. Maybe he’d been doing a little worse at Mario Kart than he thought.

As Keith was blinking the dizziness from his head, the pair in front of him were shouting various insults back and forth. He was just about to intervene when calamity struck. “God you’re such a prick, shut the hell up!” Lance shouted, a scant inch from Matt’s face. “Why don’t you make me, punk?” Matt shouted right back. And then, to Keith’s horror, instead of punching, or shoving, or even headbutting the older student, Lance grabbed the back of his head and kissed him, hard. Even more to Keith’s horror, instead of immediately recoiling, or shoving Lance off of him, Matt pushed the two of them back into the wall and reciprocated… enthusiastically.

Not sparing Keith a single glance or passing thought, Lance broke the kiss momentarily for air and breathily murmured “Bedroom,” before grabbing Matt by the upper arm and leading him into said bedroom. The bedroom that Keith and Lance shared. The only bedroom in their dorm room. Keith sighed and fished the headphones out of his backpack; his only option now was to hope he could drown out the noise that was steadily growing in volume and try to get some sleep on the floor in the living room. Not for the first time, Keith intensely regretted not saving up enough for a couch.

By the time Keith awoke the next morning, Matt was gone and Lance was still snoring away his hangover. All of the clothing Lance had been wearing the previous night was scattered across their room, and somehow one of his socks had ended up on Keith’s lamp. Mercifully, the blanket was covering Lance’s lower half, which for his sake Keith hoped didn’t look anything like his chest or neck. They were covered in purple and red bruises and teeth marks. Keith shuddered, remembering the sounds he’d heard the night before, and decided to go for a walk to get the memory out of his mind.

By the time he got back, Lance was up and showered and clothed and Keith decided to brush the whole thing off. He didn’t know what the story between the two of them was, and frankly, he didn’t want to know. The sooner they could both pretend it had never happened, the better.

Later that night, Keith made the terrible mistake of going out for dinner with a few of his friends, and when he got back he found his bedroom door shut with one of Lance’s socks hanging on the doorknob. He’d heard rumors of that sort of thing happening in college: a sock or a tie or something on the doorknob alluding to the unsavory activities going on behind the closed door. Even if the sock hadn’t been there, it would not have been a terribly difficult leap of logic to discern what was happening. Again. Keith sighed. He couldn’t help but think to himself that he was a good person and didn’t deserve this.

But there was nothing to be done. He’d die of embarrassment if he tried to bang on the door and kick Matt out, so he pulled out his headphones and the book he’d been reading and made himself as comfortable as he could on the floor again. He’d have to have a serious talk with Lance about boundaries and over-night “guests” on school nights tomorrow, but he had a quiz during his 9am class and figured he had better at least try to get some rest.

..

Coming home late after an exhausting day of class after being kept up half the night with unscrupulous sounds that the thin walls did nothing to muffle and a completely dissatisfying school cafeteria dinner, all Keith wanted to do was pass out on his bed until 7:30 the next morning. But yet again, his door was shut and a sock was placed over the knob. Keith was not a crying man, but he almost wept in frustration at the sight. Hanging his head in defeat, he was about to give up and sleep on the floor again, when he noticed Matt’s backpack tossed haphazardly against the wall in the corner.

Glancing at the nametag, it read “If lost, please return to Matt Holt, room 414.” Room 414 was only a short elevator ride away. Freshman were on floors one and two, and the upper classmen were on floor three through five. It was perfect. If Matt was going to steal his room, he could just go steal Matt’s. Flawless logic.

He stood in front of the door marked 414 and realized that he didn’t actually know if Matt had a roommate or not, or how awkward the situation might be. The lack of sleep made him even more brave than usual, though, so he knocked twice decisively and instantly regretted it. A tall, handsome man with biceps larger than Keith’s head and the most impressive jawline he’d ever seen answered the door almost immediately. “Uh… hi?” He said, confused at Keith’s bewildered expression. Keith cleared his throat and looked at the man’s chin so it wouldn’t be as obvious that he couldn’t make eye contact during what he was about to disclose.

“Hi. I’m Keith. Your roommate has been having gross, loud hate-sex with my roommate all weekend and I haven’t slept in 3 days because we don’t have a couch, so I was hoping I could crash in his bed.” The man blinked in shock and took a step back, throwing an arm out behind him to allow Keith entry. “Wow. That’s… wow. Yeah, please, come in.” Keith nodded in thanks and stepped inside. The upperclassmen dorms were a lot nicer than the freshman ones and even had attached bathrooms. He couldn’t help but notice how clean and tidy the place was. “I’m sorry about Matt, he’s not usually that kind of guy. I think he’s going through some stuff right now, probably.” He coughed. “I’m Shiro, by the way.”

Keith turned towards him and offered him a small smile. “Well, I wish we were meeting under better circumstances, but I really appreciate you letting me crash here.” Shiro returned his smile, and Keith wasn’t sure if it was the lack of sleep or not, but it was one of the most breath-taking things he’d ever seen. “Sure, it’s the least I can do. You can drop your bag and shoes over here by the door. I’m just going to be in the living room studying, so feel free to sleep as long as you like. Matt’s bed is the one that’s to the left when you walk in. If he comes home while you’re still here, I’ll make him sleep on the couch.” He finished with a laugh that had Keith chuckling as well. “Thanks, Shiro.” Keith said quietly before heading into the bedroom and promptly passing out.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith and Shiro spend a lovely morning together, and both sets of roommates attempt to have a heart-to-heart.

Waking up early was never Keith’s strongest skill, but after several nights of fitful sleep and finally having a comfortable mattress to rest on, he found himself bright eyed and bushy tailed at 5am the next morning. Being the polite and considerate young man that he was, unlike his roommate who would be getting a very stern talking-to this afternoon, Keith looked over to the other bed in the room to make sure he wouldn’t be disturbing Shiro if he were to get up and go about his day. Keith frowned as he noticed the perfectly made bed on the opposite side of the room. He hoped he hadn’t been keeping Shiro from sleeping.

He walked quietly from the bedroom into the living room, intending to grab his shoes and backpack and head back to his own room, but stopped short. Shiro had moved the coffee table off to one side of the room and was on the floor where it had been the day before. He was shirtless, sweaty, and incredibly good at pushups. Keith followed the hard lines of muscle across his back, shoulders, and arms as Shiro dipped his elbows to a perfect 90-degree angle and pushed back up until they were locked in a straight line before doing it all again. It was honestly mesmerizing. 

Suddenly remembering what it felt like to be a kid with his hand caught in the cookie jar, Keith’s face turned bright red as Shiro stood up and froze upon seeing him. “Oh uh, sorry. I didn’t think you’d be up so early. Why don’t I just…” Shiro blushed and cleared his throat as he grabbed his discarded t-shirt from the couch and started to put it on. “No!” Keith shouted before he could stop himself, and immediately regretted ever being born. Shiro blinked up at him with eyes wide like a deer caught in headlights. “I mean, uh, you don’t have to stop because of me. I was just leaving. Thanks again for letting me stay here.” Keith swallowed down his shame and made a beeline for his backpack. Sliding on his shoes in record time, he slung the pack over his shoulder and made for the door without looking back at Shiro. 

“It was no trouble, really. It’s still pretty early, though, I was about to make breakfast if maybe you’d want to stick around?” He’d finished putting his shirt on and was looking at Keith pensively as he turned around. “Oh, uh…” The thought of going back to his dorm and sitting on the floor while he waited for Matt to make his walk of shame was extremely unpleasant by itself, but doubly so when he realized he’d be missing out on a home cooked meal with the living embodiment of Adonis if he chose that route. “I wouldn’t want to impose or anything.” He murmured shyly, but dropped his backpack and slid his shoes off again. Shiro smiled at him. “Not at all, just give me a minute to get cleaned up and I’ll whip up something to start your day off right.” 

Keith idly wondered if maybe he was still asleep and this was all some kind of bizarre dream, but a few minutes later when Shiro stepped out of the small bathroom in fresh shorts and a clean shirt, he decided that if it was, it was the best dream he’d ever had and he didn’t care in the slightest. Padding over to the kitchen in bare feet with his hair still damp, Shiro began to pull out various pans and bowls and ingredients. Keith had never been much of a chef, but he felt a bit awkward just standing and watching Shiro cook. “Is there anything I can do to help?” He asked, rubbing a hand over the back of his neck uncomfortably. 

“Oh, sure. Can you measure out a cup and a half of flour for me?” Shiro replied, gesturing to the package of flour and measuring cup he’d laid out. As he busied himself with other preparations, Keith poured the flour into the cup and was proud that he’d mostly not made a mess of the counter. Shiro chuckled and wiped a wet cloth over the powder that had escaped the bowl before adding the rest of the ingredients he’d prepared and began to stir. Keith tried to be subtle as he stared in appreciation of Shiro’s arms while he stirred, but the small smirk on Shiro’s face led him to believe that he’d missed the mark.

Shiro made quick work of pouring, flipping, and serving up the pancakes and soon the two of them were sitting down at the coffee table for breakfast. Keith had no idea what to talk about, or what to look at, or what to do with his hands, so he began shoveling food into his mouth at a rapid pace. After a few quick bites, the taste caught up with him and he couldn’t help the obscene sound that escaped his throat. Shiro looked up at him with pink cheeks as he swallowed the overly large mouthful and coughed. “Wow, these are really good!” He said with an awkward chuckle. Shiro smiled back at him shyly. “Thanks. It was my grandfather’s favorite recipe.” Keith returned the smile and went back to eating. 

They finished the rest of breakfast in companionable silence and Keith grabbed the plates to help wash up before Shiro had the chance. As he scrubbed them free of syrup, Shiro leaned against the counter and watched. “So, what are you majoring in?” Small talk had never been his forte, but for some reason with Shiro it seemed easier. “Aeronautical engineering. I really want to work on planes someday, hopefully as a pilot. How about you?” Keith answered, rinsing suds from the first clean plate. 

Shiro stepped forward and dried it. “That's awesome, my grandfather was a pilot, he used to take me along for rides sometimes. I'm actually in astrophysics, though. Hopefully I'll get into the PhD program here next year.” Keith was a little in awe, he was no slouch academically, but Shiro was clearly very smart. He was gorgeous, buff, brilliant, and a great cook from what Keith had been able to gather in such a short time. He handed over the other clean plate to be dried and started working on the rest of the dishes to have an excuse to keep talking. Once all of the dishes were done, Shiro made coffee that tasted like heaven and they continued to chat away the morning. 

Far too soon for Keith’s liking, the alarm on his phone went off. He pulled the offending device from his pocket and silenced the music. “Well, I should probably head back to my room. Get ready for class and all that.” Keith grumbled, pocketing his phone again. Shiro smiled and nodded at him. “I actually had a really nice time, weird circumstances aside. If Matt ends up stealing your room again, feel free to head up here anytime.” Keith returned Shiro’s smile and pulled his backpack and shoes on. He thanked Shiro again for the delicious breakfast and waved as he left the room. 

Those storm gray eyes and that soft smile stayed in Keith’s head all day, and he was almost disappointed when he got back to his dorm and the bedroom door was open. Lance was at his desk on his side of the room, back to the door and working on some calculus homework. Keith grabbed a few ice cubes out of the tray in their tiny freezer and promptly shoved them down the back of Lance’s shirt. Keith laughed as he squealed and shrieked and wiggled out of his chair trying to get the ice to fall out. “What the hell, Keith?” Lance cried indignantly as he threw the now slightly-melted ice cubes in his direction. 

Dodging them expertly, Keith put on his best angry face, but he knew it wouldn’t reach his eyes. “You don’t get to ask me “what the hell” ever again! Ever! I slept on the floor for half a week because you couldn’t keep it in your pants. You OWE me.” He pointed out with a smirk. Lance’s face fell a little. “Yeah well,” he grumbled out quietly, “you don’t have to worry about that anymore.” Keith internally warred with himself. He should be mad, Lance had been a huge inconsiderate jerk by kicking him out of his room, but he seemed genuinely sad. Plus, he wouldn’t have met Shiro if Lance hadn’t shacked up with Matt, so maybe he could try his hand at being consoling. 

“Do you uh… wanna talk about it?” Keith said, wringing his hands anxiously. He was never good at comforting people with words, he was a man of action, but he’d try for his friend if that’s what he needed. “Ha. No.” Lance clipped back, not looking up from his math book. “Oh thank god.” Keith murmured under his breath, pulling out his own homework and getting to work. 

..

Matt stumbled into their dorm room half asleep at 6pm to find Shiro sitting on the couch studying serenely, as he usually was. “Hey, Matt. I was starting to wonder if you died or something.” He called with a hint of mirth in his voice. “Yeah, I feel like I died kind of. I had the weirdest weekend.” He shook his head and pulled a can of soda from the fridge, draining half of it in one go. “Well considering that it’s Tuesday, I’d say so.” Matt grimaced and slumped down on the opposite side of the couch, throwing an arm over his eyes. Shiro sat patiently, still highlighting notes in preparation for an upcoming quiz. He knew Matt would talk it out eventually if he didn’t press. 

“So, things didn’t go super great with Allura on Saturday.” Shiro hummed in response. “You mean drunkenly scream-reading poetry at a girl DOESN’T make her like you? Who knew?” He licked a finger and flipped the page on his notes as Matt groaned. “Yeah, maybe I should lay off the booze for a while.” He slid further down the back of the couch. “So anyway, that didn’t work, as you probably figured. She told me I was being embarrassing and ridiculous and was “just as bad as Lance,” which…” He sighed. Shiro stopped his reading but continued looking at the page. If he appeared too interested, Matt might gather that something was up. 

“Ugh, I ended up going to that twerp’s room. He hangs out with Pidge sometimes, so I’d been over there looking for her a couple times and… I still don’t really know how it happened.” He took another generous sip of his Sprite and sighed. Shiro closed his book and gave him a confused look. “You’ve been gone for like 3 days, Matt. What happened?” He was going for concerned instead of amused, and hoped it didn’t leak through his voice. “So he’s still super annoying, don’t get me wrong. It’s probably nothing. We uh… well. You know.” Shiro couldn’t help the incredulous chuckle. He’d never thought Keith had been lying, but hearing it from Matt’s own mouth was something else. 

“So, you shacked up for 3 days because you both suck at hitting on the girl you both like?” Shiro asked. Matt groaned again. “Yeah, I guess we did. It was… it was a weird weekend.” Shiro laughed. “Again, still Tuesday. But, do you think you’ll see him again?” Matt’s eyes widened in horror as he faced Shiro. “Seriously? See him again? We weren’t going on dates, Shiro. We were doing the do, and that’s all it was. And no, he’s an obnoxious asshole and no matter how good he is in the sack, if I see him again I’m gonna punch him in the face.” Shiro couldn’t help the small flicker of disappointment in his stomach. If Matt really did want nothing to do with Lance anymore, then Keith wouldn’t have a reason to come hang out here again. It had only been one morning, but Shiro hadn’t been able to get the younger student out of his mind all day. 

“Well, if you both have the hots for Allura, it shows you at least have some things in common. And if he was good enough er, in bed,” Shiro started, red tinging his cheeks. “to spend 3 days with, maybe it’s something worth exploring for real.” Matt stared at him intently. “You’re oddly invested in this. What did I miss?” He crawled up on the couch cushions and stuck his face close to Shiro’s. “You never care about who I date, you’re always super awkward about it. Why do you care this time?” He raised an eyebrow. Shiro grabbed his face and pushed him backwards with one hand. “You’re a junior now, maybe I’m just hoping my best friend will grow up and find someone he actually cares about for once.” Shiro had an excellent command voice, but the deep crimson blush on his face and ears betrayed him. 

“Yeah ok, Captain Tomato. You’re the worst liar in the history of liars. Spill it.” Shiro sighed and cursed his traitorous skin. “Ok so maybe I have a slight ulterior motive, but it’s really nothing.” He cleared his throat and opened his notes again. Maybe if he was very still, Matt would give up and go away. Matt’s wide grin led Shiro to believe that was a vain hope. “Nope, no studying.” Matt pulled the notebook off of Shiro’s lap and slid closer. “Tell me what happened. You know I have ways of making you talk, Shirogane.” Shiro shuddered at the memory of the He-man “What’s up” video playing on a loop for 6 hours straight the last time he withheld information from Matt. He was a very strong man, physically and mentally, but even he could only handle so much. 

Shiro released a deep breath that he’d been holding, and looked down at this lap. “While you were… with Lance,” He started, trying to keep the nervousness out of his voice, “his roommate got sick of sleeping on the floor, so he came up here. I let him use your bed and we hung out and had breakfast and talked. It was… nice.” The blush had crept all the way down his neck at this point. He refused to make eye contact with Matt. 

Matt, to his credit, did not burst into laughter. He laid a gentle hand on Shiro’s shoulder. “Shiro, buddy, you could just go talk to him. Tell him you had fun and want to hang out again.” If it were anyone but Matt, it would have felt patronizing. Shiro had never spent a lot of energy on dating, he was always too busy with school or work or volunteering, it never really felt like a priority. In the few rare instances he had developed crushes, he had simply ignored them until they went away. It hadn’t left a lot of opportunity to learn how to talk to cute boys. “I don’t know, Matt. That seems…” He sighed yet again. “What if he doesn’t like me?” He muttered quietly. Matt frowned. 

“You know what, Shiro? Why don’t we take the rest of the week to think about it, and if you still want me to by Saturday, I will go bang that annoying freshman again to get you another shot with your boy.” It seemed surreal to be comforted so deeply by a sentence containing those words in that order, but that’s where Shiro had found himself at this point in his life. He smiled gratefully at his friend. “Thanks, Matt.” The hand on his shoulder squeezed before lifting and following the rest of Matt off the couch. “No problem, buddy. What are friends for?” 


	3. Chapter 3

Keith considered going to Shiro's room a few times that week, but could never come up with a reason that wouldn't make it painfully obvious that he was nursing a crush. Lance had been a little down in the dumps throughout the week, which was very uncharacteristic of the normally bubbly, happy-go-lucky boy, so Keith distracted himself by trying to cheer him up. Unfortunately for Keith, that meant picking up a second hand copy of Super Smash Bros Melee and getting his shit utterly kicked in at video games for a second week in a row. 

At any kind of shooter or strategy game, Keith was king, but fighting games were just not his jam. Lance, however, did not suffer from this affliction. Partially through the evening, they ended up altering the drinking game rules so that Keith wouldn't die of alcohol poisoning while Lance watched, completely sober. The box of pizza and 24 pack of cheap beer between them grew steadily more empty and Lance's normal sunshiney disposition returned with every win under his belt. 

Just as Keith was about to concede for the evening, feeling he'd done his best at cheering Lance up, a soft knock at their door had both boys looking at each other quizzically. Lance stood up and opened the door, groaning as soon as he saw who was on the other side. “Hey, look… can we talk?” Matt said quietly, faint blush tinting his cheeks. “Nope!” Lance replied almost instantly, slamming the door and stalking back to the cushion he was sitting on. 

“Uh… maybe you should talk to him, dude.” Keith offered gently. “Maybe you should shut up!” Lance growled out, picking his controller back up and wailing on Keith's defenseless little Star Fox before he could grab his own controller. Matt opened the door quietly and shut it behind him, walking sheepishly into the small living room and standing next to Lance with his arms crossed. “Look, I'm sorry, ok? I was an asshole.” He conceded guiltily. Keith was very unsure how this was about to go down, but he was very deeply regretting how drunk he was, yet again. 

Lance put his controller down and calmly stood up, taking a few measured steps to end up in Matt's personal space. Their eyes locked. Matt licked his lips. Lance swallowed thickly. The tension in the air was almost palpable. Keith wouldn't have thought it amiss for the lights to flicker, but they didn't. “Well, how are you gonna make it up to me then?” Lance replied with a smirk. The worried expression melted from Matt's face and was quickly replaced with a hungry grin. Before Keith had even realized what happened, the bedroom door was slamming shut again. 

Keith knew from prior, unfortunate experience that the faint noises he was hearing from the bedroom were very unlikely to stop and would, most likely, only get louder for several hours to come. He slipped on his shoes, grabbed the open case of beer, and headed for room 414 again. 

..

Shiro felt absolutely ridiculous. He stared at himself in the mirror for the 8th time that evening. “You look great, Shiro. Stop worrying.” Matt called from the living room, downing yet another vodka and red bull. Shiro felt a little guilty for the whole ruse, but he could tell that Matt was extremely eager to see Lance again no matter how loathe he was to admit it.

The dark purple button up shirt was just the right side of too tight and rolled up to his elbows. His jeans were such a dark blue they might have been black and he'd spent an embarrassing amount of time on his hair. Matt had made him drink several heavily mixed drinks in an effort to calm him down, but so far all they had accomplished was making him feel too warm. He stalked away from the mirror and flopped onto the couch with a sigh. “So have you decided what you're going to say to Lance?” He prodded Matt gently with a socked toe. 

Matt shrugged. “I don't really know.” He frowned and looked pensively off to the side. “I was… pretty harsh with him the other day. I might just say I'm sorry and see how that goes.” Shiro offered a pat to his shoulder and an understanding nod. They had talked in brief snippets throughout the week about the whole ordeal and Shiro knew Matt's feelings went a lot deeper than he'd let on. He had faith that Matt would figure it out, though. 

Matt sighed and poured two shots, handing one to Shiro and keeping the other for himself. They clinked glasses and just as Shiro's reached his mouth, Matt declared a toast. “Here's to annoyingly hot freshmen.” 

Shiro tried to swallow, but ended up coughing. Vodka burned its way up and down his throat and a little even through his nose. Matt downed his shot and slapped Shiro on the back to help him regain the ability to breathe. Shiro glared. Matt laughed. 

Finally getting oxygen into his abused lungs, Shiro shook his head at Matt. “I have no idea what you're implying, but my intentions are purely honorable.” Matt laughed even harder. “Honor is but a trim reckoning, my liege!” He cried in an overly dramatic British accent, compete with flourished bow.

Shiro rolled his eyes. “Ok, enough, Falstaff. You're not as funny as you think you are.” Matt smiled at him good naturedly. “I have it on good authority that I am quite funny, actually.” He replied with a wink as he made his way for the door. “Your mom doesn't count, dork!” Shiro yelled as Matt stuck his tongue out and closed the door behind him. 

Now that Matt was gone, Shiro wasn't quite sure what to do with himself. He couldn't just be sitting there waiting for Keith to show up. He thought about changing into something more casual for the umpteenth time, but ended up deciding against it. Turning on the TV, he flipped to a random sports channel and decided to watch the hockey game that just happened to be on tonight. 

A few minutes later, a decisive knock on the door startled him out of the trance he'd been in while watching the game. Suddenly his heart was pounding and his hands felt sweaty. “Did you forget your keys?” He called with feigned nonchalance to the door. “Uh… it's Keith, actually.” Came the reply after a few seconds hesitation. Shiro took another swig of Matt's abandoned drink and grimaced at the harsh taste as he made for the door. 

He swung it open and couldn't help the smile that slowly grew over his face. Keith's hair was a mess and he was wearing an oversized sweatshirt and basketball shorts. The red tint to his cheeks might have been a blush, but the open case of beer he was holding made Shiro think it was probably from a buzz instead. “Ah. Well, I guess I'm not going to that party then.” Shiro said with a laugh, throwing the door open wider so Keith could come in. 

Keith hesitated as he stepped into the apartment. “Oh, you don't have to stick around on my account. I can just crash. I won't wreck the place or anything.” His eyes drifted over to the TV and Shiro noticed his face light up when he saw what was on the screen. “Oh, it's no big deal. I'm not much for parties. I was only going because Matt wanted to go, but now I have an excuse to skip it and finish watching the game.” He said with another laugh. He couldn't help but wonder if he was going to finish all of his sentences with nervous laughter, or if Keith would pick up on the fact that he was nervous, or if he was being weird somehow, or… 

He shook his head and motioned to the couch. “I don't know if you care about hockey at all, but you're more than welcome to hang out.” He kept himself from chuckling but it was a near thing. Keith smiled wide and placed the case of beer on the coffee table before taking a place on the couch. “I like hockey.” He said, and cracked open a beer. Shiro sat down on the other side of the couch and immediately wondered if he should have been sitting closer, or maybe farther away? He also had no idea what to do with his hands, so he grabbed a beer as well.

“So who's your team then?” Shiro asked, grimacing at the bite of cheap alcohol on his tongue. Keith's eyes stayed glued to the screen. “Oh, I'm a big Sharks fan. You?” Shiro let out a half laugh, half groan. “The Sharks? Come on!” Keith turned and gave him an amused but contentious look. “Oh yeah? Who's your team then?” Shiro crossed his arms and stuck his chin up. “The Kings of course!” Keith laughed and chucked a pillow at him. “Ugh never mind, I'll listen to Matt and Lance make weird gross noises all night!” Keith said, but made no move to get off the couch. Shiro gently tossed the pillow back to him and smiled. “Well at least we both hate Anaheim.” Keith grinned and held up his drink. “I'll drink to that!” He replied, much more enthused now. 

A few minutes went by in near silence as both men at least feigned deep interest in the ongoing match. At the first period break, Shiro grabbed the empty cans and cups that had been accumulating on the table and brought them to the kitchen for proper disposal. He brought back a bag of pretzels and tossed them on the coffee table. “Sorry, we don't keep a lot of snacks around. Matt isn't known for his impulse control.” The nervous chuckle made a reappearance. 

“Yeah, I kind of gathered that.” Keith replied grumpily. He tore into the pretzel bag and took out a handful. Shiro grabbed a handful for himself and sat back down, closer to the middle this time. For easy access to the bag, he justified to himself. “So are you from California then?” Keith asked quietly. 

Shiro smiled fondly. “Yep, born and raised. My parents moved to LA from Japan with my grandfather right after they got married.” Keith returned his smile. It sounded nice. “How about you?” Keith's smile faltered a bit and he took a generous swig of his drink. “Originally, yeah. My dad and I moved all over when I was little and then…” He trailed off and seemed lost in thought for a moment. “I ended up going to school in Nevada.” 

If he hadn't been drinking, he probably would have left it alone, but buzzed Shiro was not particularly well versed in reading the room. “Like Vegas-Nevada or middle-of-nowhere-Nevada?” He said with another small chuckle. Keith grimaced. “Definitely that second one.” Shiro couldn't help the slight burst of laughter at Keith's grumpy expression. Keith attempted to glare but it came out as more of a drunken pout, which set Shiro off in another fit of giggles. “You know what!” Keith growled out and grabbed his pillow again. 

Shiro grabbed the other pillow in self defense and suddenly Keith was almost in his lap, hitting him none too gently with the pillow. “Sorry we can't all be perfect, stuffy, city boys.” He grunted in between laughs and swats with the pillow. Shiro matched him blow for blow with his own pillow and waited for an opening. It didn't take long, what Keith had in speed he lacked in finesse, and Shiro pounced. 

They ended up sprawled along the couch, Shiro covering Keith's body with his own. Keith's left hand was up over his head, where Shiro had it pinned by the wrist to stop the pillow assault. His other hand was planted on Keith's bicep to keep him from reaching for the other pillow, now discarded somewhere behind the couch. Their faces were so close they could feel each other's harsh breaths on their faces. Their eyes locked. 

Keith felt mesmerized again. He knew Shiro was strong just from looking at him, but being pinned so completely was an all together different type of realization. He couldn't keep himself from the urge to look down at Shiro's lips. Shiro followed his eyes and licked his lips as Keith risked a glance. “Keith…” He breathed more than said. Keith nodded almost imperceptibly in response. Just as Shiro started to lower his head to press their lips together, the long-forgotten hockey game let out a shrill torrent of noise.

At the sound of the loud buzzer and announcers shrieking “Ggggoooaaaalll!!!” Both men nearly jumped out of their skin. Shiro ended up toppling over the edge of the couch, slamming an elbow on the coffee table, and flipping the open bag of pretzels and both half-drunk beers onto himself as Keith watched in horror. Keith peered at Shiro as he lay dazed on the floor. “Are… you okay?” He murmured quietly. 

Shiro looked up at him and couldn't help but laugh. Suddenly Keith was laughing, too. He climbed over the arm of the couch and grabbed the bag of pretzels from Shiro's stomach, trying to get as many back inside as possible. Once most of the pretzels were contained, Shiro sat up on his elbows. He grabbed the now-empty beer cans and placed them back on the table. Keith offered a hand and helped him to his feet.

His nice shirt and pants were covered in salty beer now, and he was sure his hair was a wreck, but Keith was looking at him like he hung the moon and he'd never felt better in his life. He scratched the back of his head bashfully. “I'm just gonna…” he gestured down at his clothes and then to the bedroom. “Right.” Keith answered, still grinning up at him. Shiro let out a nervous laugh and went to go change.

Keith grabbed a few towels from the kitchen and made quick work of mopping up the remnants of beer on the floor. He found both pillows and put them back on the couch before muting the TV and sitting back down. The few minutes it took Shiro to change were some of the longest of Keith's life. 

Shiro walked back out in a t-shirt and shorts much like he had on the other day and sat down, this time much closer to Keith. “Um…” “So…” They both started at the same time and laughed. Keith made a dismissive gesture. “You go ahead.” Shiro nodded and took a deep, slow breath. 

“That… got a little intense. I really hope I didn't make you uncomfortable.” He was looking down at his lap instead of at Keith, for which Keith was immeasurably grateful. “I wasn't uncomfortable.” He answered quietly. “At least, not in a bad way.” Both set of ears tinged red with blush. 

Shiro licked his lips again and swallowed hard. “Well, we could… I mean, if you want…” He didn't get the chance to finish his sentence as Keith turned on the couch and suddenly planted himself on Shiro's lap. Shiro's hands moved on autopilot to the small of Keith's back as Keith gripped one of Shiro's arms tightly and curled his other hand in Shiro's hair. Their lips crashed together and static exploded in Shiro's brain. 

Hands and lips roved across every available inch of skin. Keith's hoodie ended up tossed haphazardly somewhere towards the front door. They broke apart eventually and rested their foreheads together, panting. Once they'd both mostly caught their breath, their eyes locked and they smiled shyly at one another. Keith craned his neck toward the bedroom and lifted a questioning brow. 

Instead of answering, Shiro slid both of his hands down to the back of Keith's thighs and stood, hefting him with ease. Keith's eyes went wide and he locked his arms around Shiro's shoulders as they made their way to the bedroom. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: Let Keith carry Shiro! He's strong too!   
> Also me: Writes the exact opposite of that   
> ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯
> 
> Maybe I'm a hypocrite.


	4. Chapter 4

Matt woke up much less hungover than he expected to be. The clock on the bedside table read 7:12 am, which was far too early to be awake on a Sunday. He wanted to get up and grab a glass of water, but Lance was wrapped around his torso like an octopus and Matt couldn't bring himself to shove him off. The dim light streaming in through the split in the curtains made Lance’s sleeping face glow a soft, rich gold that had Matt's stomach doing somersaults. A small smile crossed his lips and he brushed a stray lock of hair back into place.

Then he realized what he was doing, went completely rigid, and said, “Ah shit,” entirely too loudly for a person with someone sleeping on his chest. Lance blinked and yawned, craning his head up. “You say somethin’?” He mumbled out sleepily. “Uh… no. Go back to sleep.” Matt whispered at a more appropriate morning volume and ran his hand through Lance's hair. Lance blinked a few more times. “Don't tell me… what to do… Holt…” he mumbled, burrowing his head under Matt's chin.

It absolutely wasn't the cutest thing he'd ever seen. He didn't even like it. Lance's hair wasn't even that soft and didn't even smell absolutely incredible. Maybe. Possibly. Matt wrapped his arms around Lance's back and let one hand trail softly up and down his spine. The small contented noise that Matt felt more than heard caused another round gastrointestinal gymnastics that he was starting to not mind so much anymore.

After an hour or so of drifting in and out of a light sleep, Matt gently shook Lance's shoulder. His left arm was completely numb and the room was excruciatingly hot with Lance on top of him. Lance groaned and snuggled deeper into his shoulder. “Hey, come on, buddy. I gotta take a leak.” He whispered.

Lance groaned even louder, but rolled over off of Matt. “Romance is dead.” He declared, curling up into the blankets. Matt slapped his ass as he got out of bed and gathered his clothes to head to the shared floor bathroom.

Business taken care of and glass of water finally acquired, Matt walked back into Lance's room and shut the door. Lance had thrown some pajama pants on, but was laying on the bed facing the wall. Matt sighed and slid into the bed behind him, nuzzling his head into the back of Lance's neck. Lance tensed his shoulders, so Matt backed his face away a few inches. “You gonna talk to me, or are you gonna pout?” Matt murmured into his ear, running a hand down Lance's arm.

“Shouldn't you be leaving by now?” Lance groused. “I can. If that's what you want.” Matt replied, trying to keep the annoyance out of his voice. Lance turned around, agitation written all over his face. “I thought I was just a loser freshman and not worth your time?” He accused, pouting. Matt rolled his eyes. “You are a loser freshman. But… I may be reconsidering that second part.” He replied, embarrassed smile on his face.

Lance's eyes softened, but his pout didn't. Matt leaned forward and kissed him softly, but Lance didn't reciprocate. He pulled away and looked into Lance's eyes. “Do you want me to go?” He tried to keep his voice calm, but his heart was pounding in his chest. “Yeah.” Lance answered softly. Matt nodded and looked away, turning to get out of the bed. Lance grabbed his arm before he could get too far away. “Come back later, though. We'll talk for real.” Matt smiled and nodded down at him. “6? Maybe… we could get dinner after?”

It was Lance's turn to smile. “Sure. 6 it is.” Matt leaned down and pressed another kiss to Lance's mouth, this time getting a slight response. “Go on, get out of here!” Lance said as he pulled away, laughing under his breath.

..

The first thing that Matt noticed was amiss, was the bright red sweatshirt laying in a pile at the front door. He toed his shoes off and looked at the wreck that was their living room. The couch was crooked and the pillows had been scattered to the floor beside it. Speaking of the floor, there were several pretzels ground into the rug next a few towels in pile on top of a huge stain that smelled strongly of stale beer. Sports Center was still on the TV, which was left on at some point, muted. The shower was running, which was odd for Shiro this late in the morning.

Matt shrugged and figured something dumb must have happened, but he was too tired and too emotional to deal with it right then, so he headed for the bedroom. It was far, far worse than the living room. Way more clothing than two people should have been wearing at any one time was practically thrown across the room every which way.

Shiro's lamp had been knocked off his desk, several of the slats in the blinds behind said desk were completely destroyed, and there was a distinctly hand-shaped hole in the drywall next to the window. Matt blinked in surprise. He'd never had to deal with Shiro bringing anyone home until this moment and he was beginning to see why he didn't go on many third dates.

Normally Matt would consider himself a very smart man, but he was hungover and physically and emotionally exhausted, so the penny stayed adrift as he crawled into his bed and shut his eyes. It came crashing back to earth as he heard the unmistakable sounds coming from the shower. A series of rhythmic thudding sounds accompanied by soft groans in Shiro's familiar, deep timbre had Matt's eyes suddenly snapping back open. He laid still, frozen in panic for a moment before what he was about to be interrupting really sunk in.

“Keith… ah… yeah, right there... I'm gonna…” Matt wasn't sure if Shiro was actually shouting all that loudly, or if it was just the trauma of hearing his best friend getting railed in their shared shower, but either way, he leapt out of his bed like a gun had just gone off and raced for the hallway. Remembering to grab his shoes, he didn't bother putting them on until he was already at the elevator. He pulled out his phone and brought up Pidge's contact card. _“Please tell me you don't have anyone in your room right now.”_ He typed out quickly. The responses came back nearly instantly in rapid-fire succession.

_“???” “Hunk's here” “we're building quadcopters” ”why are you being weird”_

He sighed in relief. _“I'm sleeping on your couch until 4 and we're never speaking of this again.”_ He hit send when he got off the elevator and Pidge's response came before he got to the main door for his building. _“Whatever weirdo :)”_

..

Keith dragged the towel over his hair slowly. Shiro was standing behind him, arms circling his waist and lips kissing their way across Keith's neck. He hummed in contentment and dropped the towel as Shiro moved up to nibble on his ear. “That… was incredible.” Shiro whispered in between kisses to his temple. Keith turned around and captured his lips in another bruising kiss. He broke away far too soon for Shiro's liking and smiled up at him. “You're incredible.” He murmured, leaning back in. Before they could get too far into round… several, Shiro broke their kiss with a soft chuckle. “I hate to be the voice of reason right now, but we should probably get some water at least.”

Keith couldn’t help but smile again, thinking back on the previous night and most of the morning’s activities. “Ok, fine. Lunch first.” He agreed, turning to grab his towel off the floor. Shiro watched as he bent down and wrapped the cloth around his waist. Finally managing to tear his eyes away after Keith glanced at him in amusement, Shiro wrapped his own towel around himself and they made their way into the kitchen.

Shiro poured them each a glass of water and started rummaging through the fridge for sandwich ingredients. “Should we… get dressed?” Keith asked, sparing a nervous glance toward the door. Shiro’s ears turned a faint pink. “Actually, I heard Matt come home while we were uh… in there.” He nodded his head towards the shower and Keith’s eyes went wide. “He probably won’t be home for a while.” Keith buried his face in his hands. “Oh my god,” He breathed. “I’m friends with his sister.” Keith squeaked out. “This is going to be so awkward.” Shiro laughed and almost spilled the jar of mustard he had been holding all over the counter. He sat it down and pulled Keith’s face into his hands, meeting his eyes.

“I really don’t think Matt is going to say anything about it, especially not to Katie. He makes sure to keep her well out of range of all of his exploits.” Keith blinked in surprise and then laughed. Shiro dropped his hands and cocked his head to the side. “What’s so funny?” Furrowing his brows, Keith frowned. “Wait, you really don’t know?” Shiro shook his head slightly. “Lance? He and Pidge were friends before I knew her. He introduced us.”

Shiro’s eyes went wide. He didn’t have any siblings, but he’d been friends with Matt long enough to know just how catastrophic that situation could end up. What was he thinking? Why would he do that? “I… don’t think Matt knows that.” Shiro said carefully. Keith started laughing so hard his towel dropped. “Oh my god…” He wheezed out in between gasps for air and belly laughs. “Sorry. I’m sorry. This is just… it’s exactly what Lance deserves.” Shiro let out a small laugh and knelt down to pick up the dropped towel, pausing to place several open-mouthed kisses along Keith’s thigh and hip. His chuckles turned into moans as Shiro kissed his way up Keith’s stomach and chest and finally landed on his lips. He pressed Keith’s back up against the counter and kissed his way along Keith’s jaw, over to his ear, nipping gently. “What happened to lunch first,” Keith breathed out as he all but melted against Shiro’s chest.

“Oh right, I knew I was forgetting something.” Shiro replied, pulling away with a cheeky grin and going back to the forgotten sandwiches. Keith frowned but took the opportunity to slide up behind him and rest his head between Shiro’s shoulder blades as he went about preparing the food, occasionally pressing light kisses to whatever bits of skin managed to make contact with his lips.

Keith had been learning a lot about Shiro in the past 18 hours, but so far, his favorite thing was the way Shiro hummed under his breath as he went about certain tasks. He couldn’t be sure just from the humming, but he’d be willing to bet Shiro had an incredible singing voice. Keith was lost in thought imagining himself strumming on his beat up old guitar as Shiro sang along when Shiro turned and bumped his hip. “Breakfast in bed?” He leaned down and asked in a conspiratorial whisper, nodding back to the bedroom. Keith couldn’t help the chuckle the welled up from the fondness in his chest. “Sure.” He answered, leaning forward to plant a quick kiss on Shiro’s nose, which immediately turned a lovely shade of red.

..

Lance threw the door to Pidge’s dorm room open with a lot more force than was strictly necessary, but she’d become used to things exactly like this in their several years of friendship. Hunk blinked judgmentally but elected not to comment, instead choosing to continue tinkering with the large drone laid apart on the table. “Pidge. Hunk. My truest friends. This is some big stuff! I need you!” They looked at each other and grimaced slightly. “Ok, ok. What’s up, buddy?” Hunk offered gently, motioning to a chair. Lance sat down and sighed heavily. “So, you know that guy that I’ve been… uh… hanging out with?” They both grimaced again.

“Yeah, he’s such an asshole, he broke your whole heart, blah blah blah.” Pidge muttered, adjusting her glasses and continuing her soldering. “Yeah no, turns out he’s actually pretty ok. He apologized and wants to go out to dinner tonight and I. AM. FREAKING. OUT.” Hunk’s eyebrows shot up and he looked over at Lance in surprise. “Wow, that sounds pretty serious. Isn’t that what you were hoping for, though? Why are you all upset about it?” He asked. Lance was about to answer when a very familiar groan from the couch caught his attention.

“God, will you nerds keep it down over there? I’m trying to sleep.” Matt mumbled out. “Wait what the hell?” Lance shrieked. “What are you doing here?” Matt sat bolt upright and turned towards Lance in terror. “What am I doing here? On my sister’s couch?” He replied, dripping as much sarcasm as he could muster into his voice. “Pidge is your SISTER?” Lance squalled, rapidly looking between each horrified Holt sibling.

“No no no no no.” Pidge started, dropping her soldering iron and holding her hands out. “This is not happening.” Hunk unplugged the hot iron before it could damage the table and looked between the three of them awkwardly. Matt opened his mouth and closed it several times, doing his best impression of an utterly flabbergasted fish. “Matt, what the hell? Why have you been having sex with my friend?!” She yelled. Matt’s face turned pink and he still couldn’t really make his mouth move properly. “Well… Why has your friend been having sex with ME?” He shouted back. It was a lame defense, Matt wasn’t too proud to admit that, but it got the heat off of him momentarily.

“How was I supposed to know you were Pidge’s BROTHER?” Lance yelled. Pidge looked at him with genuine confusion. “Lance, you were at our house a bunch last year when Matt was home for winter break. We all played Risk together for like, 5 hours!” Lance and Matt both looked stunned at this revelation. “Ok, ok, but Allura was there. I was really distracted!” Lance retorted. Matt could only nod in agreement. “Lance, we have the same last name. Until Matt grew his hair out we got mistaken for twins constantly. What… what is wrong with you.” She held her head in her hands and sighed. Lance looked between them a few times before the resemblance dawned on him.

“Oohhh…” He finally said, barely above a whisper. Matt sighed and looked toward the door. “I can’t believe I’ve been pining over a total moron for like a week.” Lance’s head snapped towards him and his gaze went soft. “Wait, you’ve been pining over me?” He asked, sounding touched. “Hey! I am NOT a moron!” He finished a beat later, just a tad slow on the uptake. Pidge turned toward Matt with murder in her eyes.

“Nope, no, I’m out.” Matt held his hands up and shook his head. “I don’t care if they’re still fucking in the shower, I’m going back to my room.” Lance looked toward him, stunned. “Wait, who’s fucking in the shower?” He called toward Matt’s retreating back. “Ugh. Who isn’t fucking in the shower, Lance?” He replied, shutting the door without looking back. Hunk made a face.

“Well I’m not, for one. That’s super unhygienic.” He plugged Pidge’s soldering iron back in and placed it in the holder. “Not to mention, dangerous. Do you realize how many people die from slipping and falling in the shower every year? Noooo thank you.” Pidge and Lance both groaned. “Yes, thanks for that, Hunk.” Pidge deadpanned.


	5. Chapter 5

At some point during the day, Shiro and Keith had gotten dressed and moved to the couch. Shiro was sprawled out on his back, and Keith was resting on his chest. Neither of them were really sleeping, they were just content to lay quietly together with a random movie playing on the TV for background noise. 

Shiro kept finding himself glancing down fondly at the sight of Keith being utterly engulfed in one of his hoodies. Every once in a while one of them would comment on the movie, or ask the other a random question about himself. It was genuinely the most relaxed Shiro had ever remembered being. 

“Hey, this uh. Might be a little heavy.” Shiro started tentatively. “Go ahead. I'm an open book.” Keith responded, looking up at him with half-lidded eyes. “Well… here's the thing.” He could already feel his face heating up. “I've never really… you know, properly dated before.” Shiro admitted quietly. Keith gave him a small smile. “Neither have I.” Shiro craned his neck to plant a soft kiss on Keith's lips. The contented hum Keith let out made Shiro's chest swell with fondness. 

“Do you… maybe want to figure it out together?” He rushed out, breathlessly. Keith's small smile spread into a wide grin. “Absolutely.” He punctuated with a kiss. Keith slid himself higher on Shiro's chest and deepened their kiss, licking impatiently into Shiro's mouth. 

He moaned into the kiss and fisted a hand into Keith's hair just the right side of too tight and slid the other up under Keith's sweater onto the small of his back. Things were rapidly heating up, when the front door swung open quietly. They broke apart in shock and stared at Matt as he walked past them with one hand in front of his face to shield either his own eyes or their privacy, none of them were really sure which. “I’m just gonna go in the bedroom and close the door and quietly die of shame. Don’t mind me.” Matt mumbled as he walked by. Shiro frowned at his back as the door slid shut. 

“Sorry, I should,” He nodded towards the door and Keith climbed off of him and the couch. “Right. I’ll just,” Shiro stood quickly and grabbed his hands. “No, you should stay. Let me just check on Matt and I’ll be right back.” He rushed out. Keith smiled and nodded, taking a seat back on the couch. Steeling himself for whatever might lie beyond the door, Shiro cautiously knocked. Matt didn’t reply. Quietly and slowly, Shiro opened the door a crack and stuck his head inside. “You ok, buddy?” His voice came out syrupy sweet and he fought down a cringe at the sound. Matt lifted his head up from where it had been resting on his desk and motioned him inside. 

“What happened?” He asked quietly, cautiously approaching the desk. Matt groaned loudly. “I went to Katie’s room since you guys were... busy after I left Lance’s.” Shiro nodded and furrowed his brows to show his concern. “I was crashing on her couch and… turns out Lance isn’t just some dweeb she had classes with, they’re actually friend-friends. Remember that kid that I mentioned was hanging out with my sister last year that I told you you might have to beat up because I thought he liked her?” Matt looked up pleadingly at Shiro. His eyes went wide. “Oh no.” He gasped out quietly. “Oh yeah. Same kid.” Shiro whistled quietly under his breath. “That’s... “ Matt sighed. “Isn’t it just?”

“What are you gonna do?” Shiro replied, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Well before all that, he agreed to meet up and talk tonight and actually go out instead of just hooking up, but now I have no idea.” He looked genuinely upset and Shiro wasn’t sure what to do. He lightly squeezed Matt’s shoulder. “If you like him, you should go. You’re smart, you’ll figure it out.” Matt sighed. “I need a drink.” He mumbled, stalking back out into the kitchen. 

Shiro followed, tossing an apologetic look at Keith. Matt tossed back a swig of vodka straight from the bottle and chased it with a swig of orange juice, also straight from the bottle. Shiro wrinkled his nose. “Ok, I need you to do drill sergeant.” Matt said, staring at the counter. “Uh… Keith is still here.” Matt turned his head toward the couch. Keith blushed and offered a small wave. “Believe me, he’s heard worse.” Matt replied, looking back at Shiro. Shiro coughed. “Ok, ok.” He shook his hands out and then lightly slapped his own cheeks. Keith stared on in amused concern, unable to take his eyes away from the bizarre scene. 

“Ok, Holt! What’s your plan?” He barked out, jabbing a finger into Matt’s chest. “I uhm…” Matt cleared his throat. “You ‘uhm’? How’s that working out for you?” Shiro shouted, glaring down at him, the finger in his chest poking harder. “I’m going to go talk to that dumb nerd!” Matt shouted. Shiro nodded. “That’s right you are!” He pulled his hand back and stood at parade rest. “And what are you going to do when you talk to him?” His voice had no less force behind it, but the volume had decreased significantly. Matt looked up at him decisively. “I’m going to tell him how I feel and nobody’s clothes are coming off.” Shiro held out a hand and Matt grabbed it. “Good work, soldier. You’re ready.” They pumped their hands once and let go. 

Matt rolled his shoulders and shook his head quickly. He breathed out in a huff. “Ok, I’m gonna go take a walk.” Shiro slapped him on the back. “Good luck, buddy.” Matt nodded at him and waved at Keith as he was leaving. He cocked an eyebrow as Keith sat there, stock-still and barely breathing. His face was so red it was almost purple. “Yeah, have fun with that.” Matt mumbled, shaking his head as he left. 

Shiro came and sat down next to Keith on the couch again. “Sorry about that, it’s a weird little… inside joke kind of thing. Matt came to one of our ROTC drill practices and said he needed someone to scream in his face to get him to do stuff, too, and well…” He let out a nervous chuckle. Keith swallowed hard. “Do you…” His voice cracked. Clearing his throat, he tried again. “Do you do that… a lot?” Shiro gave him a funny look. “Do drill practices? Or the weird, sergeant voice thing?” Keith blinked a few times like the only experience he had in the art was a few quick youtube tutorials. “Both?” He managed to squeak out.

“Well, drill team meets on Saturday at 0600, sometimes there are competitions other days, but it’s usually just then. The other thing uhh… I dunno, usually just at finals week to get Matt to study.” Keith grabbed one of the glasses of water on the coffee table and drained it. “I… didn’t know you were in ROTC.” He replied after a few moments of collecting himself. Shiro chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of his neck. His traitorous skin blossomed pink again. “Yeah, they give out great scholarships.” 

Keith’s eyes were boring into his in an intense way that had Shiro’s collar heating up. “Do you have a uniform?” His voice came out half an octave too low and it went straight to Shiro’s stomach. On the one hand, he would gladly jump into an active volcano if it meant Keith staring at him like that some more. But on the other, it was a bitch and a half to clean and iron the scratchy material and he’d be in serious trouble if he showed up for inspection looking like a wrinkled mess. Keith’s eyebrows twitched and Shiro decided that Wednesday’s inspection was Wednesday-Shiro’s problem and stood up.

Keith’s eyes went wide as Shiro craned his head toward the bedroom. 

..

5:45 found Matt loitering outside of a freshman’s door like a creep. He’d been standing there across the hall for twenty-odd minutes already and was debating whether or not to just knock and be weirdly early. He played another round of some dumb game on his phone for a few more minutes before finally deciding to just get it over with. Knocking hard three times, he stood outside the door with his heart hammering hard. After a few moments that felt like decades, Lance threw open the door and craned his head for Matt to come inside. 

The shirt he was wearing was a little too big, and Matt could make out several marks in varying shades of red and brown peeking out over the stretched out collar. He licked his lips and cleared his throat, not following Lance into the bedroom. “Maybe, maybe we should stay out here.” He clipped out nervously. Lance gave him an odd look, but turned and leaned casually against the wall. He looked at Matt expectantly. 

Matt rubbed a hand down his face. “Look, I’m terrible at this. Are we good?” Lance stared at him incredulously. “Seriously?” Matt shrugged. “I… like you. Or whatever. We could do the whole thing.” He waved his hand in the air dismissively. Lance cocked an eyebrow at him. “I’m no expert, but I’m pretty sure we’ve done “the whole thing” in just about every possible configuration.” Lance responded, scare quotes and all. Matt closed his eyes and sighed. He wasn’t wrong. “No, not that. Well also, yes that. But you know,” He waved his hand in the air again. “Like… dating. For real.” Lance fought hard against the grin that welled up on his face, but ultimately lost the battle. 

“Really?” Matt nodded shyly and coughed into his hand. “Yeah.” Lance pushed off the wall and hugged him. “Ok.” He breathed out against Matt’s neck, which rapidly reddened. “Cool.” He nuzzled the side of his head against Lance’s and let out the breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. Lance pulled back and looked at him seriously. “One thing though,” He started. Matt looked him in the eyes and nodded.

“You really didn’t know I was Pidge’s friend? Like, I suck at noticing things, I’ve accepted that about me. But you had no idea?” Matt groaned and looked up at the ceiling. “I was a little busy that winter break, ok? I thought you were just some guy she had classes with.” Lance narrowed his eyes playfully. “What were you busy with?” Matt backed out of the embrace and shook his head. “No, nope. We’re not going there.” Lance crossed his arms petulantly. “Fine, then we’re not dating.” 

Matt let out a cross between a pained groan and the sound a balloon makes when you deflate it. He hung his head and mumbled something. Lance took a step closer. “What was that?” He said, turning his head so his ear was facing Matt. “I said…” Matt gritted his teeth. “I was in… a World of Warcraft guild.” He crossed his arms and looked away, closing his eyes. To his credit, Lance took a few beats to start laughing. “We were raiding like 18 hours a day, ok! It seemed important at the time.” Matt grumbled. Lance closed the gap between them and kissed him on the cheek. “You are SUCH a dork.” Matt willed down the urge to push him away. “You’re not allowed to call me a dork.” He groused. 

Lance threw his arms around Matt’s shoulders and bumped their noses together. “I’m pretty sure, that as your boyfriend, I am absolutely allowed to call you a dork.” Matt’s face turned red. “Ok, whatever.” He mumbled out, still not looking at him. He cleared his throat and stepped away. “Anyway, I’m hungry. Pizza?” Lance grinned. “Sure! Let me grab a jacket.” 

Once properly clothed, they headed out to the pizza place just off campus. They chit chatted a little as they walked. It was the longest conversation they’d ever actually had, and with clothes on to boot, but they were rapidly discovering that they had very similar tastes in a lot of things. Matt kept glancing down at Lance’s hand swinging between them. After what felt like an eternity, he finally mustered up the courage to reach forward and lace their fingers together. Lance looked at him and smiled wide. “Awww, Matt…” He started. Matt immediately shook his head. “Nope. Don’t make it weird. Just let it happen.” Lance laughed and took his advice. 


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pidge: Friendship ended with literally everyone. I hate all of you.

Uniform completely wrecked and honor of the United States Air Force utterly besmirched, Shiro let out a contented sigh. Keith's face was still red and his breath was only just now evening out. He looked damn good in nothing but the uniform's dark blue tie starkly contrasting his pale skin, Shiro had to admit. 

Keith snuggled into the crook of Shiro's neck and let out a deep breath. The warm air across his sweat-damp collar bones made Shiro shiver. He dipped his head down and pressed a soft kiss to Keith's hair. Keith smiled and sat up, pulling the loose tie off of his neck and dropping it next to the bed with the rest of Shiro's crumpled uniform. “Do you want to go grab dinner? I'm starving.” He asked, sitting up cross-legged in a pool of blankets.

“I was just thinking the same thing.” He replied with a smile. “There's a really great Thai place just off campus if that sounds good.” Keith offered, openly and appreciatively staring as Shiro stood up and stretched. “Perfect. Thai it is.” He leaned down to grab their clothes and handed Keith's over before starting to get dressed himself. 

They each took a few minutes to get cleaned up in the bathroom and started to head out. “Actually, can we head to my room before we go? I wanna grab my keys.” Shiro shrugged. “Sure, if you want. If it's just off campus we could probably walk, though.” Keith smiled playfully. “Yeah, well. Maybe I wanna show off my motorcycle.” 

Shiro swallowed hard. “You… you drive a motorcycle?” Keith's smile turned into a cocky smirk. “Yup.” He answered, popping the p sound at the end of the word. “Holy shit.” Shiro whimpered under his breath. 

..

“Wow, what does it feel like to be *so* wrong?” Matt asked incredulously, taking another healthy bite of his slice. “I don't know, why don't you tell me?” Lance replied leaning his face in. “Iron Man is way cooler than Captain America on every level!” Matt tried not to shout. He really liked this pizza place and didn't want to get kicked out for causing a scene.

“Yeah except for the part where he's a massive jerk and causes like half of the problems he's trying fix! Cap is an amazing man and just wants everyone to be safe and he loves his friends.” Matt rolled his eyes. “Ok, fine, whatever. Agree to disagree.” Both students ate quietly for a moment. 

“Ooh I got one!” Lance piped up after a few bites. “Favorite Star Wars movie. You first.” Matt thought for a moment. “Original trilogy or whole shebang?” Lance furrowed his brows. “Whole thing. All 8 so far. Plus Rogue One, actually. If you mention the Christmas special so help me…” He menaced Matt with the slice of pizza in his hand. Matt laughed and nodded. 

“Even I'm not that much of a meme.” He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “I think… I think I still have to go with Empire. Force Awakens was a close second, though.” Lance nodded appreciatively. “Yes! Ok. I think that counts as two.” Matt chuckled. They'd been arguing back and forth about the best video games, movies, etc since they sat down. They had nearly the same taste in everything, but the minutiae was where they squabbled. 

Matt wouldn't have admitted it even with a gun to his head, but Lance was easily as funny as he was frustrating and this was the best date he'd been on in years. “We probably should have started keeping track at some point.” Matt said, laughing. Lance shrugged. “Eh, I don't mind not keeping score on this one.” He smiled at him and Matt had to look away. He wracked his brain for something to say.

“The ultimate test of compatibility: is Die Hard a Christmas movie?” He turned back to Lance and smirked at his offended look. “Of course not!” He nearly shrieked. The man behind the counter gave them a stern look. Lance lowered his voice and waved sheepishly at him. “Obviously it's an Easter movie.” He finished, much quieter this time.

Matt blinked. He'd had an entire defense of both positions planned just to mess with Lance, but he began to connect the dots as his unexpected position sunk in. “Oh my god,” He whispered in disbelief. “You're… you're totally right.” Lance grinned triumphantly. “Oh yeah! Score one for Lance! I'm the best!” He did the goofiest little wiggle dance Matt had ever seen in his life. It was also one of the cutest things he'd ever witnessed. He looked down at the pizza box.

They'd both eaten two slices, so there were still 4 left. “Hey, do you wanna bring the rest of this back to your room?” Matt asked, keeping his voice low. Lance stopped his celebration and smirked. He leaned across the table as far as he could. “Are you seriously about to jump me because I just schooled you on Die Hard meta?” Lance whispered conspiratorially. 

Matt sighed and hung his head briefly. “Look, cards on the table. I’m not proud of it, but I absolutely am.” Lance grinned and slammed the pizza box shut. He tossed a few dollars on the table as he stood up and waved to the grumpy man behind the counter again. As soon as they were outside, Lance looped his arm around Matt's and leaned his head in close. “You are never allowed to call me a nerd again, Matt. N e v e r.” 

Matt tried to be indignant about the ridiculous way he elongated the word never, but he couldn't manage to quite get there. 

..

Keith smoothly slid his bike to a stop and killed the engine. He pulled off his helmet and shook out his hair. Shiro was pretty sure his heart stopped beating for a second. Pulling his own helmet off, he grabbed Keith's hips before he could stand up. Keith turned back to look at him with an amused smile as Shiro hugged him from behind. “That,” Shiro started, almost out of breath, “was really fun.” He snuggled his face into Keith's neck as he finished. 

Keith smiled and happily let Shiro hold him for a moment before patting his hand and moving to get off the bike. The ride itself had been a pretty short one, but Keith had driven just a little too fast and taken the corners just a little too sharply and the adrenaline was doing great things in Shiro's brain. Feeling bold, he wrapped an arm around Keith's waist as they made their way into the restaurant. 

The place was never crowded, but it was especially empty considering it was a Sunday night. Shiro lasted about two minutes from the time they sat down before he reached across and took Keith's hand. They both looked down at their clasped hands and then up at each other with pink cheeks and wide smiles. 

They made idle chitchat while waiting for their food, and Shiro wondered if he could ever recall his cheeks being sore from smiling too much before now. Keith was staring into Shiro's eyes softly, trying to work out if they were gray or blue. The waitress dropped off their plates and giggled as they jumped, seemily having forgotten that other people existed. 

They reluctantly stopped holding hands so they could eat, but their eyes seldom left each other. Shiro looked down at his plate to grab another bite and couldn't help the laugh that spilled out at the thought that crossed his mind. Keith smiled. “Did your noodles tell a really good joke or something?” He asked playfully.

Another blush darkened Shiro's cheeks and he looked at Keith with an embarrassed smile. “Ok, don't judge me.” Keith's grin widened. “No promises.” He replied, drawing another laugh from Shiro. 

“So I don't know why, but… I was just thinking. If you could do the Lady and the Tramp thing with Pad Thai.” Keith's eyes went wide and he dissolved into giggles. “Well now we have to try!” Shiro wasn't completely sure if Keith was kidding or not, but he rolled some of the noodles with his fork and gave Keith a daring look. Keith grabbed his own fork and tried to roll the other end of the noodles onto it. It took a few tries. 

Eventually, Keith was satisfied and nodded at Shiro. They both placed their forks in their mouths and slurped the noodles up until their lips met. A bright light went off and both men turned to see their extremely embarrassed waitress holding her phone pointing directly at their table. “Oh my god I can't believe the flash was on.” She groaned out, hiding her face in her hands. Shiro and Keith laughed so hard they ended up spitting noodles at each other, which only made them laugh harder. 

The waitress brought them extra napkins and couldn't look either of them in the eye. “Sorry, that was… so rude. You guys are just really cute.” Shiro smiled as he wiped himself off. “Well one of us is at least.” He replied, looking right at Keith. Keith blushed and flicked a bit of noodle off of Shiro's chin. “Yeah. You.” Keith smirked at Shiro's broad grin and the adoring look in his eyes. 

He turned to the waitress, who looked like she might be deciding between whether to cry or combust. “Can we get the check when you get a chance, please?” She nodded and scurried back behind the counter.

..

Pidge was still mad several hours later. Somehow Hunk had convinced her to go give Matt a piece of her mind, so she marched herself right up to his room. It was eventually clear to her that this had been a Very Large Mistake. 

She opened the front door without knocking, as she usually did. It was eerily quiet and she couldn't help but notice how messy the normally immaculate room was. She frowned. “Matt, come out here! I'm not done yelling at you yet!” 

Shiro made a strangled gasping noise that he prayed wasn't loud enough for Pidge to hear through the closed bedroom door. “Hey Katie, Matt isn't here right now.” Even to him, his voice came out like one of those robo-calls that you're never really sure whether it's computer generated or a legitimate recording. “Ugh figures. Whatever, I'll just wait here until he gets back.” She huffed out, flopping down on the couch.

Keith shifted his hips and Shiro had to bite down on his hand to keep from crying out. He took a moment to collect himself before replying. “Uh… that's maybe not the best idea.” He at least sounded human this time, so he counted it as a win. 

“What? Why?” Pidge groused from the living room. She'd always been welcome in their room before and had hung out with Shiro alone plenty of times. Something wasn't adding up. 

Keith leaned over Shiro's back so he could whisper into his ear. “Should I stop?” Shiro shook his head quickly into the pillow several times and took a deep breath. “He went out with Lance, to dinner I think? They probably won't be back for a while, if it all.” He answered after what felt like an awkwardly long pause. 

“Are you ok in there? You sound weird. Are you sick or something?” She got up from the couch and made her way to the door. “Yes!” Shiro cried out, much more enthusiastically than Pidge was expecting. “I… I am sick. It's pretty bad. I'd hate for you to catch it, you might wanna go.” He quickly added. 

Pidge frowned again and looked around the room. Her mouth dropped open in horror as she finally noticed all of the evidence. Keith's shoes lined up next to Shiro's by the door. Keith's bike keys on the counter. Keith's sweater flung over the arm of the couch. “Oh god!” She cried in disgust. “Really? With me  _ right here _ ? You guys are! You're! Ugh! Jesus.” She turned and fled, slamming the door on her way out. 

Upon further reflection, she realized she should have gone back to her own room instead of to Lance's. 

When she arrived, the door hadn't even been shut all the way. She grimaced, honestly unsure of what she was about to find as she pushed the door open all the way. What she found was better than what she expected but far, far worse than what she felt she deserved. 

Lance's shirt and jacket had been discarded immediately upon entering the room, and Pidge kicked them out of the way onto an abandoned pizza box. Lance himself was shoved up against the wall, Matt apparently doing his best to leave hickeys on every inch of skin on Lance's neck and chest. Lance groaned low and murmured out Matt's name quietly; Pidge was sure that sound would be playing on loop in her nightmares. His eyes fluttered open, at first slowly and with the intent to push Matt off so he could drag him into the bedroom. Instead, he shrieked at the sight of Pidge fuming in the open doorway. 

Matt wheeled around quickly and laughed nervously, face turning a deep crimson. “Ok, listen up, weirdos!” Pidge yelled, slamming the door and stalking towards them. “You!” She jabbed her index finger into Lance's chest. Despite being nearly an entire foot taller than her, he still felt like she was looking down her nose at him. “No matter what, and I mean for absolutely any reason in this or any reality, you are NEVER allowed to tell me even one more awful detail of what my  _ brother  _ is like in bed.” 

Lance gulped and held his hands up in surrender. “In my defense, I didn't know he was your brother when I told you all that stuff.” Matt looked at Lance with what can only be described as the physical embodiment of the word yikes. “Shut up!” She nearly screamed, turning to Matt. “And you!” His eyes crossed as her finger ended up almost touching his nose. “If this,” she gestured between them flippantly, “doesn't work out, you are never dating or hooking up with any of my friends ever again. Including Allura! Ever!” Matt nodded. “Yeah, that sounds fair.” He muttered out guiltily. 

“I'm not done!” She huffed, clenching her fists. Matt and Lance looked back and forth between each other and her in confusion a few times. “Ok fine! I guess I'm done, but I'm still mad!” Matt smiled softly at her and wrapped his arms around her shaking shoulders. “If you don't let go of me, I'm going to punch you right in your junk.” She muttered into his chest, but hugged him tight anyway. 

“Look, Katie, this is weird for everybody, ok?” He said quietly. “We're big kids, though, if it doesn't work out neither of us is gonna try to make you pick between your brother and your friend.” Lance finally picked up on what was actually going on, and put a comforting hand on her back. “Yeah! And, since Matt and I are gonna be hanging out more now, you'll get to see both of us twice as much!” He added with a grin. Pidge backed away from them, absolutely refusing to acknowledge her watery eyes. She nodded and was about to thank them when Lance spoke up again. 

“You'll have to get used to us making out all the time, though, ayoooo.” He winked and shook finger guns at her. Pidge made an exaggerated gagging noise and left the room immediately.

Matt turned back to Lance with the universal expression for  _ what the fuck _ written all over his face. “What?” Lance asked indignantly. “Obviously it was a joke, we're not really gonna make out in front of your sister!” Matt shook his head and walked into the bedroom. Lance frowned but followed him inside. 


	7. Chapter 7

Very few things actually changed significantly over the next few weeks. The most noteworthy change was the addition of a slightly beat up, but perfectly comfortable, couch that Keith and Lance had managed to find at a second hand store for a very reasonable price.

That Saturday found them in their usual spot in the living room, with two additions. Matt and Lance were in a pile on one side of the couch, limbs and controller cords tangled and brows furrowed in deep concentration. Shiro was on the other side, with Keith sitting on a pillow on the floor in between his legs.

Where Lance, Keith, and Matt had intense, focused expressions, Shiro's was light and content. He kept dropping one side of his controller to run his hand through Keith's soft hair. They were losing this round of 2v2 GoldenEye very _very_ badly. Unfortunately, the rules were that you had to drink every time you were killed, and the more Shiro drank the softer and more inviting Keith's hair looked. It was essentially a negative feedback loop.

Keith turned and craned his head up at Shiro. “Babe,” he said softly. “Get your shit together, we're getting our asses handed to us.” Shiro smiled at him and took another swig from his drink as he waited for his character to respawn. “Sorry, you're distracting.” Shiro answered, leaning down to press a soft, upside down kiss to his forehead. Keith grinned up at him.

Matt whooped loudly on the other side of the couch as he found Keith's character standing still in a corner and shot it. The victory screen flashed over his and Lance's half of the screen. “Suck it, nerds!” Lance said with a grin, attempting to give Matt a drunken high five, but ending up smacking him in the face. “Ow, shit!” Matt groused, grabbing Lance's wrists. “At least give me a safe word or something, damn.” He said, laughing at Lance's shocked and mortified expression. He leaned in and pressed a kiss to his pouting lips before Lance could retort or apologize.

Shiro stood up and stretched as Keith frowned at the _defeat_ flashing on their side of the screen. “Oh darn,” Shiro started sarcastically. “Looks like the game's over. Good job guys.” He bent down and hefted Keith into his arms. Keith let out a shocked squawk and flailed until he could wrap his arms around Shiro's neck. “Well, I guess we're going to bed now, g’night.” Keith said with a laugh at Matt and Lance's bewildered expressions. The bedroom door shut and locked with a click.

They looked at each other and couldn't help but laugh. “Well, I guess we're sleeping upstairs tonight.” Lance grinned. “Unless you wanna get your ass kicked 1v1?” He challenged. Matt pushed him toward the other side of the couch. “Yeah which one of us had a better KD that round, scrub?” He pointed toward the screen.

“Keith was singling me out! And you kept going for Shiro while he was distracted!” Lance rebutted indignantly. “We'll see who the scrub is, you scrub.” He grumbled. Matt rolled his eyes. “Good one.” He replied, resetting the game. They had to turn the volume up a few times to cover the… rather enthusiastic noises coming through the thin walls, but they ended up playing several more games. Finally exhausted and rapidly descending the Ballmer Peak, Matt called it in Lance's favor: 3 wins to 2.

Lance stood up and did a completely ridiculous victory dance that had Matt in stitches on the couch. “Ok, ok, undisputed champion. What do you want as your prize?” He asked, eyes shining with mirth. Lance grinned wickedly and pounced on him. He kissed Matt until he was thoroughly breathless before whispering in his ear.

Matt's face immediately reddened, and he nodded along as Lance spoke. “Yup. Sounds good. You're the winner, seems like a good prize.” He rushed out, trying to push Lance off of his chest. Lance eventually went with a laugh. They took the stairs two at a time to get to Matt's room faster.

..

Seeing his little sister in Greek letters was bizarre to say the least, but as long as she was happy, he was happy for her. The large "Kappa Alpha Theta" emblazoned across her new jacket was shimmery and gold, and the rest of it was her favorite shade of green. She'd just finished showing Matt around the house and finally led him to the basement where the open house movie night was taking place that evening. 

Hunk was already on one of the couches with his arm shyly around the shoulders of a tall, gorgeous sophomore named Shay who had pledged in Pidge's class. She was blushing at something Hunk said and he tried desperately to keep his face neutral as she laid a hand on his thigh and laughed. Several sisters that Matt didn't recognize were in a gaggle around Shiro, Keith holding his hand tightly and glaring off into the middle distance. 

He spotted Lance just as he and Allura started making their way over to where the Holts were standing. Once Lance had laid off on the flirting, they'd actually been able to develop a decent friendship. It made Matt smile. 

“Nerds.” Lance said, bowing in greeting. Allura giggled as the Holt siblings side-eyed each other. Matt eventually lost their silent argument and grabbed Lance’s hand. “Whatever, dork.” He replied as Lance smiled brightly at him.

“I hope you enjoyed your tour, Matt. Pidge is our most enthusiastic guide.” Her eyes glittered as she smiled at the shorter woman. Matt didn't miss the blush that sprinkled her cheeks, but Lance did. “What? How come I didn't get to go on the tour?” He pouted. Pidge coughed.

“Actually, uhm. There's kind of something I've been meaning to tell you guys.” Pidge started. Allura rested a hand on her shoulder. “Something  _ we've _ been meaning to tell you.” Allura interjected. They shared a small, private smile. Lance cocked his head to the side. Matt's eyes went wide. 

“No!” He gasped. Pidge and Allura both laughed. “Quite so.” Allura replied, hiding her smile behind a hand. “Huh?” Lance looked between the three of them and stopped on Matt's shocked face. “How long?” He squeaked out, smile beginning to spread over his face. 

“Since right after pledge week.” Pidge blushed. Allura smiled down at her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “Wait what's going on?” Lance said, pulling his hand away from Matt and crossing his arms. 

“Well, I never would have called it, but I'm happy for you guys. Bring it in.” He opened his arms wide and both women moved in to give him a hug. Lance stomped his foot. “Matt! What the hell is going on?” He pouted loudly. Several people stopped what they were doing and stared. Matt laughed.

“Oh my god, you’re lucky you’re hot.” He said, shaking his head. “They’re dating, dumbass.” Lance gaped, looking between Pidge and Allura. They both blushed and nodded. “Weeeeeird.” Lance murmured. They both frowned. “No, no, not like that. Good weird! I didn’t know you guys even really hung out. I’m so happy for you!” He circled them with his arms. Allura laughed. “Yes, Lance. Because I truly wanted to spend my entire winter break last year playing board games with you and Matt.” She patted him gently on the cheek and walked over to Shiro and Keith, both smiling brilliantly at her. 

“Holy shit,” Lance murmured and looked over at Matt. “Wow I had no idea.” He admitted, raising an eyebrow at the look on Matt’s face. He had expected a frown, or to end up in a teasing battle of name calling that normally rapidly descended into dorky pet names lately. Instead, his eyes were glimmering a little and the smile on his lips was filled with fondness. Lance’s heart did flip-flops looking at him. “What?” He asked quietly. Matt took a step forward and pressed a gentle kiss to his lips. “Never change, man.” He whispered. Lance’s cheeks turned bright red and he ducked his head, lightly knocking their foreheads together. “Shut up.” He mumbled. Matt did.

..

Allura and Pidge made their way over to rescue Shiro and Keith from the circle of their sorority sisters that seemed bound and determined to keep Shiro’s attention. Or save their sisters from Keith. They weren’t quite sure. 

“Ladies, why don’t we give our guests some breathing room, perhaps?” She called sweetly. Shiro smiled appreciatively and Keith glared harder as the group slowly but surely made their way to the other party-goers. “Having fun, boys?” Pidge asked, smiling up at them. Shiro nodded. “It looked to me like you guys finally let the cat out of the bag. How’d he take it?” Keith nodded over at Matt, who was… being weird with Lance off in the corner. They really needed to take the PDA down a notch. 

“He was surprisingly cool with it, they both were.” Pidge answered. “That’s great, Katie.” Shiro squeezed her shoulder lightly and turned to smile at Allura. “I was starting to wonder if you’d ever finally muster up the gumption to make your move, princess.” His words were teasing, but his expression was good-natured. Allura blushed. 

“It’s a bit more complicated than all that.” She muttered out, flustered. Pidge immediately flocked to her defense. “Yeah, it would have been super weird with Matt still crushing on her and Lance… being Lance about it.” She put a comforting hand on her girlfriend’s back. Keith surprised all of them by laughing. Shiro turned an amused gaze his way. “What? They’re cute.” It was his turn to blush. Shiro slung an arm around his shoulders and pulled him close, dropping a kiss to his hair. Pidge and Allura both made faint “Awww” noises. 

Shiro coughed into his hand. “Anyway, let’s get this movie night started!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Plot twist: Pidge "steal yo girl" Holt
> 
> Thanks for sticking with me on this wild ride friends. As always, come yell at me on tumblr @lasersheith if you want!


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